As Gaza is under attack, We Divest Campaign calls for urgent divestment action

At this time of Israel’s escalation of violence, bombings, and death in Gaza, we must redouble our existing efforts to organize effective campaigns against those who profit from and are responsible for enabling Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestine.

There have been many calls by our allies in Palestine to respond to the attacks on Gaza through international solidarity, including through Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns. We have seen calls from the Palestinian Boycott National Committee’s urging and the Palestinian Centre on Human Rights. We invite you to join We Divest in demanding that retirement giant TIAA-CREF divest immediately from all companies profiting from the Israeli occupation and from the escalation of violence that has already taken over 96 lives, 97% of them Palestinians.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

In addition to mobilizing emergency protests and actions (listed here), this is an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance and urgency of BDS, and to take effective action to challenge U.S. and corporate support for Israel’s attacks on Palestinians.

– If you are a TIAA-CREF participant, you can let them know you are concerned about their profiting from the attack on Gaza and urge them to investigate the companies in their portfolios, including Caterpillar, Elbit, and Northrup Grumman that are profiting from the occupation. You can let them know that you believed TIAA-CREF provided financial services with a commitment to the greater good. Human rights violations and violations of international law and profiting from war is not the greater good.

– If you are not a TIAA-CREF participant, you can let them know that you are a “potential participant” and that you thought TIAA-CREF provided financial services with a commitment to the greater good. Human rights violations and violations of international law don’t sound like the greater good to you.

SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT ELBIT & NORTHRUP GRUMMAN

Use Twitter, Facebook, email to spread the word to your networks about how companies like Elbit and Northrup Grumman are profiting from this attack on Gaza.

The Elbit-manufactured Hermes 450 drones have been responsible for not only the surveillance of, but also attacks and death of Palestinian civilians since 2006. Elbit’s equipment is also used in the impenetrable walls surrounding the Gaza Strip—effectively denying the 1.7 million Palestinians living there access to the outside world.

The IDF used Northrop-equipped Apache helicopters and F-16s to launch Northrop’s Hellfire missiles. Such use of “non-precision weapons in densely-populated residential areas” caused death tolls to reach 1,300 in three weeks; 5,000 more were injured. The IDF also used Northrop Equipment to target homes, businesses, schools and healthcare facilities in order to further “damage the infrastructure in Gaza, worsening the humanitarian crisis.

Here is a link to Frequently Asked Questions about T-CREF and Elbit – it focuses on the Wall in the West Bank but also refers to Elbit’s involvement in the “separation fence” in Gaza and in producing the drone missiles often used to bomb Gaza. See pages 12-13 especially.

In two historic resolutions this year, the United Methodist and Presbyterian churches voted to boycott products produced in Israeli settlements, including SodaStream, a device that makes carbonated water and soda from tap water, made primarily in the illegal Israeli settlement of Mishor Adumin.

SodaStream is being widely promoted this holiday season at such outlets as Costco, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s. In response, many US Campaign member groups — both faith-based and non-faith-based — are supporting a Boycott SodaStream Day of Action on “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving and the biggest shopping day of the year, and throughout the holiday season. Here are some resources to ask retailers not to sell SodaStream and to educate buyers about this product (http://holidaysodastreamboycott.wordpress.com/).

IDENTIFY CORPORATE TARGETS IN YOUR COMMUNITYInstead of protesting at your nearest Israeli consulate, consider taking your action to a corporate BDS target. Make them answer to their complicity in the violence in Gaza and highlight BDS as the key strategy for addressing the violence.

Potential corporate targets in which TIAA-CREF is invested and as of November 1 how much they have invested:

About Us

We are a diverse group of NYU students, faculty, staff, and community members organized on democratic principles to promote justice, human rights, liberation, and self-determination for the Palestinian people.